


Happy Birthday, Reader!

by krys-loves-otome (KrysImeteriHikari)



Series: Mystic Messenger Week 2016 Posts [4]
Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Stripper/Exotic Dancer, F/M, Rating May Change, depending on if I ever make a second part to this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-10
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2021-02-27 03:41:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22260502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KrysImeteriHikari/pseuds/krys-loves-otome
Summary: The Reader's friends have invited her to a strip club for her birthday. Too bad she gets lost along the way. Good thing that the handsome man with the glittery eyes is there to help her out, right?For Mystic Messenger Week on tumblr back in 2016.
Relationships: Zen | Ryu Hyun/Reader
Series: Mystic Messenger Week 2016 Posts [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1404703
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Happy Birthday, Reader!

To say that you were nervous was an understatement, no matter how much your friends tried to reassure you. It was your birthday, why not try to do something fun and adventurous for once in your life.

And by fun and adventurous, they meant Banjul, the most well-known strip club.

It was pitiful how much they had to convince you to go. You look great, it’s your birthday, you’re always stuck behind a desk at work, you work so hard, you deserve to have a little fun once in a while, plus it’s weird to be single at your age, so live it up while you can!

That last particular dig stung the most.

Why were these people your friends again?

You kept that thought in mind as you wander around lost, looking for the place. It was in a seedier part of town, why oh why did you lose the directions to the place, why did it have to be this one in particular, why did they have to insist on meeting up there instead of meeting somewhere safer and going as a group, why did your birthday have to be on in such a cold day, this is the worst birthday ever!!

Biting your lip to keep your tears at bay, you decided the best course was to just go home, alone, and tub out on some of your favorite ice cream and call that your birthday. Especially since it was getting dark and you didn’t want to be alone on unfamiliar streets at night.

Except for one small thing that caught your attention: singing.

Really, really good singing, at that.

Not to mention it was your favorite love song from your favorite musical. Where the male lead sings his heart out for his love, longing to see them again, how he would fight to see them once more, how he misses them so much.

It was a song that touched your heart as a kid, and even now as an adult. If you were ever to get married someday, this is the song you would dance to at your wedding.

Yet this version, even though you’ve heard it at least a million times before, felt better than the original. There was just something about it that touched your heart, like the first time you heard it.

So, despite your earlier misgivings, you decided to find out where the voice was coming from. Someone with that beautiful of a voice singing that beautiful of a song couldn’t be a bad person, right?

Cautiously, you followed the voice to a back alley, the ground littered with trash and slightly damp from rain earlier that day.

And there he stood, the man that was singing your favorite song. He was tall and limber, his long silver hair tied into a low ponytail at his neck. He was wearing a thick leather coat to ward off the cold, his breath coming out in puffs as he sang out in the sunset. He was even gesturing as he sang, almost making you believe that the hero from your musical had really come to life.

Even though his back was turned to you, you couldn’t look away from this beautiful man that was singing your favorite song. You knew it was rude to stare, but you couldn’t help it. This man was enchanting you more than the hero of the musical ever had. Did people like this really exist in real life?

Once he finished the song, he turned around, surprised to see you standing there.

You couldn’t help but notice there was glitter and tiny rhinestones under his eyes, his bright red eyes made up extravagantly well. It was your first time seeing so much makeup on a guy, so you were a bit taken aback.

He was quite handsome even under his makeup, though. You wondered what he looked like when his face was bare.

Still, you had been caught staring and were embarrassed by it.

“I-I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to stare.”

He didn’t seem to mind, however, and gave you a gentle smile. Matter of fact, he seemed happier to realize he’d had a small audience for his performance.

“It’s alright, no harm done.” He walked towards you, making you more aware of his height. His smile was natural and easy.

“What did you think of it? I know it’s kind of an old song, but it’s a favorite of mine. It helped to inspire my love for musical acting, actually.” His cheeks were a little red when he said that, but he wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

Your cheeks as well had turned a quiet shade of red, but you couldn’t deny the smile on your face either.

“I liked it a lot, actually,” you said, your eyes on the ground and hands clasped in front of you, but your smile was still bright and happy. “I’ve loved that song since I was a child.”

“Me too!” he said excitedly, “I want it so badly to be performed again! It was so beautiful and sad and…”

He quietly coughed to control himself, breaking both of your reveries.

“I mean, what’s a proper young lady like yourself doing on this side of town, especially this time of day?”

Oh. Right. The original reason you were even here in the first place. Your mood seemed to visibly drop, making the handsome man’s face drop in concern.

“I was supposed to meet up with my friends so that we could all go to Banjul together, but I got lost.”

“Banjul?” He asked, raising a delicate eyebrow. “Isn’t that the whor-”

“Yes,” you said defensively, looking away from him. “My friends wanted to take me there because it’s my birthday and that I have never been to a place like it before.”

He could probably tell from the look on your face that it didn’t seem you wanted to go in the first place, judging from your bright red face.

He wasn’t wrong to think that, in your opinion.

“They were paying my way, so I couldn’t really say no.”

He nodded in understanding, giving you a small sigh.

“Well, that’s not much of a birthday present, especially if it’s something you didn’t want in the first place.” He placed his hands on his hips.

“It’s okay,” you admitted, “I know that they mean well, and they’re probably worried about me right now.”

He hummed quietly in thought, placing a hand on his chin as he mused over something.

“Tell you what. I can take you to Banjul and the bouncer can help you find your friends. Once inside, when they ask you for who you want, just ask for Zen.”

“Zen?”

“Mmhmm. He’s gentle and good with first-timers. That way you won’t feel as nervous.”

You were relieved that he was so willing to help you, you didn’t know how to repay him.

There was a small concern that tickled in the back of your mind, however.

“Ah, thank you for helping me so much,” you paused, “but how do you-”

“Oh, look, we’re already here! Guess you weren’t that far off from it after all.”

True to his word, he had led you to a line of people, all waiting to go inside the den that was Banjul.

Before you could properly thank him, he had already turned on his heel and walking away from the crowd. He turned towards you before he completely disappeared and gave you a wink and blew a kiss. His voice even dropped an octave, giving him a much rougher and dangerous texture to his voice, a deep contrast to his sweet singing voice from before.

“I’ll be seeing you soon, birthday girl~” And with that, he disappeared around a corner.


End file.
